Development Project

In 2007 the Jewish Museum celebrated its 75th anniversary with the exciting go-ahead for a major transformation.

Cross section of the new Museum

The Museum is undertaking a major expansion that will provide London with a world class Jewish Museum. This will triple the space at the Museum’s flagship site in Camden Town and bring together all the collections and activities previously divided between its Camden Town and Finchley locations.

The Jewish Museum Development Project will create a cultural and educational resource of national and international importance – and a welcoming and vibrant venue for exhibitions and events. There will be enlarged exhibition galleries, new education facilities and hands-on displays for children and families.

Proposed design for the East End street,
part of the History Gallery

The £9 million scheme will enable the Museum to engage a wide range of audiences through changing exhibitions, lively public programming and outreach. The Museum will build on its valuable work in combating racism and prejudice, promoting interfaith respect and understanding, and contributing to cultural diversity in London and the UK.

The new Museum has been funded through a £4.2million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the largest award to a Jewish communal organisation.

Click here to find out more about the Development Project and how to get involved.

Welcome Gallery

• Multimedia installation highlighting the diverse backgrounds and multi-faceted identities of Jewish people in Britain today
• A medieval mikveh, excavated in 2001 in the City of London – a key exhibit illustrating the long history of Jewish settlement in Britain

Proposed floor plan for the History Gallery

History Gallery

• A vibrant, interactive exhibition, exploring the history and diverse roots of Jewish people, as one of Britain’s oldest minority communities, from 1066 to the present
• Lively and evocative displays on Jewish migration from around the world, the East End, refugees from Nazism, the wartime experience and many other areas of British Jewish history, drawing on our wide-ranging collections of photographs, testimonies and artefacts
• A Living Community Gallery to explore Jewish life today

Religion Gallery

Proposed design for the Religion Gallery

• Displaying and interpreting the Museum's outstanding collection to illustrate Jewish religious life in the context of living Judaism today
• Exploring Jewish ethics and values, alongside religious life and festivals

Displays for Children and Education Suite

• Hands-on displays for children and families throughout the galleries
• Dedicated Education Suite for school visits and creative workshops

Special Exhibitions Gallery

Proposed design for the Holocaust Education Gallery featuring the story of Leon Greenman OBE, Auschwitz survivor

• To show wide-ranging exhibitions including high profile displays from international venues such as the Jewish museums of the world, and to provide extra space for the Museum’s own acclaimed exhibition programme

Holocaust Education Gallery

• Building on the Museum’s highly acclaimed Holocaust and anti-racist education programmes and displays
• Focusing on the poignant story and personal items of Leon Greenman OBE, a London-born Holocaust survivor,

Auditorium

Proposed design for the café and the medieval mikveh (found at the archaeological dig at Milk Street, London)

• A 100-seater multipurpose auditorium to house a wide variety of educational activities and cultural events

A new Café and Shop

• Attractive café providing visitors with an opportunity to sample Jewish food
• Enlarged shop stocking books and gifts, including high quality contemporary Judaica

Research Library

• Photographic archives, collections and print stores